Fenacerd asks Abinader to organize border trade in the face of extortion by Haitian gangs

The president-elect of the National Federation of Merchants and Entrepreneurs of the Dominican Republic (Fenacerd), Graciano Alberto Jiménez Rincón, called on President Luis Abinader to organize national and bilateral trade at the border with Haiti, given the difficulties faced by merchants due to the illegal fees charged by armed gangs to allow the passage of goods.

Jiménez Rincón considered that the collection of these so-called “tolls” escapes the direct control of the Dominican Government, because it is Haitian armed groups that demand the payments to facilitate the transit of products to the neighboring territory.

“We understand that within the national territory there must be greater control at the border and greater participation from organized commerce is required in relation to being able to supply the demand that Haiti has and the supply that we can provide in commercial matters,” he expressed.

The business leader maintained that it is necessary to establish mechanisms that allow for guaranteeing the security and stability of commercial operations between both countries, while also calling for greater coordination between the authorities and the private sector.

“As president-elect of the National Federation of Merchants and Entrepreneurs of the Dominican Republic, we want to call upon the most excellent Mr. President to organize national and bilateral trade at the border, in order to guarantee stability and security,” he stated.

When referring to the payments that merchants must make to move goods in Haiti, Jiménez Rincón distinguished between the taxes established by the Dominican authorities and the economic demands of the armed gangs.

“The tax here is correct. There is no way to evade the one on the bands,” he stated.

He warned that these additional charges end up being incorporated into the costs of the products and mainly affect the Haitian market, whose consumers must bear the increased cost of the goods.

“There is a major problem and it is true that in that sense the product would be burdened and it would fundamentally affect the Haitian market,” he pointed out.

However, he indicated that Dominican merchants must comply with the corresponding obligations within the national territory, while the situation of insecurity in Haiti represents an obstacle to the normal development of commercial exchange.

Jiménez Rincón attributed the difficulties to the lack of institutional stability in the neighboring country, considering that the absence of a government capable of guaranteeing security limits the possibilities of resolving the problems that affect bilateral trade.

“That is something that goes beyond what diplomacy can be, beyond what bilateral business or bilateral trade can be, where there is no control, because in Haiti there is no government that guarantees stability,” he concluded.

The president-elect of Fenacerd reiterated the need to strengthen the organization of border trade to facilitate the supply of the Haitian market and ensure greater security conditions for merchants of both nations.